Weekender Alicante South Issue 118

8 FRIDAY 22ND NOVEMBER 2019
www.weekender.news
Hopes are high as Poppy count gets
underway
This year the Poppy Appeal
is aiming to raise
over £50 million to help
support serving and exserving
members of the
Armed Forces community
and their families.
To help reach that target,
over 150,000 volunteers
were out on the streets, markets
and in shopping centres
across the UK and many European
countries including
here in Spain.
Although local branches
have been busy raising funds
for those ‘needy’ ex-servicemen
and their dependants
since the beginning of the
year, their activities have
increased dramatically in recent
weeks as they set out on
their final fundraising ‘efforts’
of the year with the ‘Poppy
Appeal’ in the knowledge that
all of the monies collected will
be used to support cases here
in Spain.
Currently the members
from 28 branches, 12 on the
Costa del Sol, and the remainder
from the areas that make
up Spain District North,
predominantly the Costa
Blanca, Calida and Almeria,
have also been busy during
recent weeks, collecting your
thousands of donations.
With poppies and collection
boxes distributed to over
600 bars, restaurants and
other locations across the region,
the four local branches
mobilised their ‘armies’ of
volunteers, in Mid-October.
They were active at Alicante
airport, as well as pounding
the streets at local markets,
supermarkets and shops, in
addition to many dozens of
other venues and collection
outlets.
Last year the Branches
in La Marina/Gran Alacant,
Hondón Valley, Torrevieja
and the Orihuela Costa,
raised over 80,000 euro,
an amount which they will
be hoping to surpass when
totals are tallied up in the
coming days.
The appeal in Spain North
was launched by District
Chairman Don Cubbon and
the mayor of Benidorm, Antonio
Pérez, on 18 October, a
little earlier that the UK.
On the Orihuela Costa it
was boosted by the presence
of two Chelsea Pensioners,
Wayne Campbell and Skippy
Teasdale, who were collecting
at La Zenia Boulevard and in
the Plaza at Villamartin. Neither
of the two venues have
been used for some years but
the amounts collected in both
locations suggest that they
will, in future, be important
additions to the annual list,
as also will all Overseas Supermercados
stores who were
once again kind enough to
allow collectors to sit inside
their entrances.
In some branches many of
the poppy collection tins are
still to be emptied and the
monies counted, so the final
figure for the District will not
be released for some time,
however the major Orihuela
Costa and District count took
place yesterday, Sunday’ at
the Olympia Restaurant in
Mil Palmeras.
When speaking to the
Leader, local appeal organiser
Eddie Coleman seemed
in buoyant mood. “We have
done most of the counting
but we still have the banking
to do. I hope, nevertheless,
that we will have the final
figure in the next couple of
weeks,” he said.
“Our volunteers have been
amazing and we raised just
under 50,000 euro last year
so anywhere approaching
that amount will be an excellent
achievement. Watch
this space!”
Spain District North has 16
Branches and all of them arrange
regular and varied social
events, as well providing
support to our beneficiaries.
Local Branches meet in Gran
Alacant, Hondon Valley, Torrevieja
and on the Orihuela
Costa. New members are always
welcome and you do not
need to have an Armed Forces
background to enjoy all the
Branch has to offer.
Locations and details
of all the Branches can
be found on the website:
www.britishlegion.org. uk/
counties/spain-north.
For support and information,
please email Spain-
North.Chairman@RBL.
Community or call 676 451
780 (Mon - Fri 09.00 - 17.00).
Don’t miss any of the action!
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Av. de las Naciones, 24, Ciudad Quesada (Alicante) 03170
Telephone: 603 17 87 51
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FOOTBALL ACTION THIS WEEKEND
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FULHAM V QPR
SATURDAY 1.30 PM
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SPORTS BAR MULTI SCREEN
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BOXING DAY EVENT
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